Franco Colapinto Remains Optimistic Despite Q1 Crash at British Grand Prix

SILVERSTONE, England — Franco Colapinto, a rookie Formula 1 driver for Alpine, crashed out of Q1 qualifying for the British Grand Prix on July 5, 2025. Despite this setback, the Argentine driver stated that he is “not very concerned” about his future with the team amid ongoing rumors of a potential replacement.

With eight minutes left in the session, Colapinto lost control of his car at the final corner, veering off track and into the barriers, which resulted in a red flag. After initially managing to drive back to the pits, he stopped at the exit of Copse corner following instructions from his team.

“Yeah, I just lost the rear in the last corner. I was going on power and I clipped the wall,” Colapinto told Motorsport.com after exiting the qualifying session. “It was a pity. I’m still struggling quite a lot, but there was definitely something we could have done.” He added that he understood the team’s decision to stop the car: “Yeah, yeah. To stop out of Turn 1. So, a bit of a pity.”

Colapinto, who replaced rookie driver Jack Doohan in May, has faced increasing scrutiny as his five-race trial with Alpine concludes. Flavio Briatore, the Alpine team boss, indicated that the team could consider other drivers, raising speculation regarding Colapinto’s future. However, the 22-year-old remains focused on improving his performance rather than the uncertainty surrounding his seat.

“I’m not very concerned. Of course, there is always talks. I just need to keep working and trying to help the team to improve the car. Today was not ideal. I think we did some good steps, but definitely not what we wanted,” he said.

Starting the British Grand Prix from 20th on the grid, Colapinto could move to 19th due to a ten-place grid penalty incurred by a Haas driver. In reference to his struggles, he mentioned his ongoing learning process: “I need to do a couple of steps for the next couple of races.”

As the F1 season progresses, Colapinto is determined to help his team while finding his footing in the competitive field.